Supporting plateorm or table



June 16, 1925. 1,542,783

w. A. BILGER SUPPORTING PLATFRM OR TABLE' Filed Oct. 25, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 16, 1925.

W. A. BILGER SUPPORTING PLATFORM OR TABLE Filed Oct. 25, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR- Mhengez;

BY W

TTORNEYS.

Patented .lune 16, 1925.

UNITED STATES!- PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER A. BILGER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERI- CAN PULLEY COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A. CORPORATION 0F PENNSYLVANIA. y

SUPPORTING- PLATFORM OR TABLE.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER A. BILGER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sup-- porting Platforms or Tables, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates generally to tables or platforms and more specifically to a type upon which articles of manufacture, for eX- ample, may be placed for transfer from place to place about factories, through aid of what are known as lifting trucks adapted to be inserted or introduced beneath the supporting surfaces of the platforms.

The primary object of my invention is to1 provide a device for the purpose stated char-'i acterized by utmost lightness though possessed of great strength and rigidity for capacity to withstand rough usage, and which is capable of'being constructed of elements susceptible of economic manufac ture and ease of assembling.

Other objects and attendant advantages of my invention will become readily apparent from theN detailed description thereof which follows while its scope will be readily understood from the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. I is a plan view of a supporting platform or table conveniently embo ying my invention.

yF ig. II is a side view of the structure Viewed from the bottom of Fig. I,

Fig. III is a cross section of the same taken as indicated by the arrows III-III in Figs. I and II. V

Fig. IV is a side view of one of the leg members on an enlargedscale showing its relation to the other parts of the structure in greater detail. y

Fig. V is a perspective view of one of the longitudinal rails or battens forming one of the strengthening elements of the table or platform structure. t

Figs. VI and VII are perspectlve views of the two counterpart component portions of one of the leg members.

Fig. VIIIA is a cross section on an enlarged scale showing the manner in which the component portions of the leg members are assembled and secured, vand Fig. IX shows a slight modification in the method of forming the leg members.

Referring first more particularly to Figs. I, II and III, the platform structure there shown will be observed to comprise a supporting surface 1 constructed of a number of uniform lengths of Ap'lanking 2 2 laid side by side and united| to form an oblongconfiguration by longitudinally extending relatively spaced bars or battens 3 3.

Fig. V are constructed of sheet metal, and each has formed in it a medial channel 4 IThese battens, as shown in perspective in which is fianked by lateral ianges 5 5 for attachment of the planking 2-'2 which may be secured by means of screws, nails, or any other' appropriate fastening devices.

As a means for maintaining the supporting surface 1 at an elevation, I have provided ho'llow leg vmembers ofh rectangular cross section comprehensively indicated at 6 and each constituted Vof two complementary counterpart portions or components such as designated by the numerals 7, 8 in Figs. VI and VII res ectively. These component leg portions, ike the battens 3&-3 are preferably made of sheet metal appropriatelyy stamped and bent to the configurationshown. It will be observed that the leg portions 7-8 are quad rilateral in f0rm,-tof be more exact,- trapezoids with their parallel faces horizontally disposed in the completed or assembled structure. The two inclined sides are complementarily sloped and together with the bottoni edges of the trapezoids are turned at right angles tothe main or body parts of the component leg portions to afford ianges 9-9 and l() by which they are substantiall reinforced and strengthened. Such dishe formation may be obtained by a bending operation upon sheet metal blanks notched at the corners at which the flanges are to abut and uniting the abutting edges by soldering r welding after bending, or

by a simple stamping operation upon a plain or unnotched 'blank to set up the fianges 9--9 and 10 in integral continuation at the for considerable flange depths. The flanges 9 9 are terminated short of the tops of the compnent leg portions, as clearly shown in the perspective illustrations as a result of which the main webs of the components are isolated and prolonged upwardly to form attachment tabs 1l with margins turned laterally to produce horizontal flanges 12. The bending or stamping of the leg portions 7-8 is so ordered that one becomes a complement of the other and will interiit therewith when the leg member is assembled (with the flanges disposed in opposition) with the -other elements of the platform structure as clearly shown in Fig. VIII. From this illustration it will be observed that the tabs l1 of the component leg portions overlap the sides of the channel of the battens 3 while their laterally turned flangesY 12 are superposed upon the flanking :Ganges 5 of said channel members. After being thus assembled, attachment may be e'ected by riveting or welding theleg members both to the sides of the channels of thepbattens 3 and to their flanges. If desired, however, the leg components may be assembled with the battens toform units which may be subsequently secured to the supporting surface of the platform.-structure. ln the course of assembling, in order-to permanently se cure the leg components to one another, the lapping flanges 9, 9 and 10 may also be soldered or welded together. By properly proportioning the leg members as to width, at theirvtops, absolute stability ofthe table or platform structure is assured, and with proper vspacing and by virtue of the divergency of the sides ofl two aligned legs, ample `vspace is provided in the interval between 'them for insertion or introduction of the lifting truck beneath the supporting Surfaces. Furthermore by reasonof the comparative narrowness of the legs laterally, the table or platform structures may be stackedupon each other without appreciable loss of supporting surface area.

As an alternative, the leg members may be formed from a single piece of metal as shown in Fig. IX. Here Vthe portions 7a and 8a, corresponding to the components 7 and 8 of the first described form, are joinedl by an intermediate width of metal 10a designed to take the place of the flanges 10- 10. After turning up the flanges 9--9 as shown, the leg member is formed by bending the blank along the transverse dotted parts or elements of the plat orm or tablelines 15-15 until the flanges of the two portions 2'a and 8a are brought into proper coincidence. Joinder of the flanges to each other, and of the completed le to the other structure may be effected in the manner previously explained.

maar@ Havingv thus described my invention, l

claim:

1. A supporting platform including in combination a supporting surface, channel section strengthening battens formed with flanking flanges for the supporting surface, and leg members therefor comprising complementalsheefl metal units having a base, marginal and upper lateral integral flanges adapted to be secured at opposite sides and to the aforesaid flanges of the battens', and said marginal flanges terminating below the plane of the lateral flanges so as to engage the bottom face of the battens.

2. A supporting platform including in combination a supporting surface, channel section strengthening battens formed with flanking flange for the supporting surface,

.and hollow leg members therefor, each said leg comprising opposed counterpart rectangularly dished interfitting sheet metal units having reversely and laterally flanged upper parts adapted to be secured at opposite 'sides and to the aforesaid flanking flanges of the battens, and said dished units having portions terminating below thel plane of the lateral flanges for engagement with the bottom face of the battens.

3. A supporting platform including in combination a supporting surface, channel section strengthening battens having lateral Banking flanges for the supporting surface, and leg members each comprising opposed component portions in the form of counterpart interfitting die stampings of quadrilateral configuration with reversely directed upper lateral flanges adapted to be secured at opposite sides and tothe aforesaid flanking flanges of the battens, and said stampings having perimetrical recessions adapted.A

to abut the underface of the battens.

4. A supporting platform having battens of channel cross-section with flanking lat-- eral flanges for attachment to said supporting surface, and hollow sheet metal leg members of trapezoidal outline with eXtensions on the upper parallel edges adapted to overlap the sides of the battens, said ing recessed to engage the lower face of the channel section battens.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signedmy name at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this 18th day of October, 1922.

WALTER A. BTLGER.

Witnesses:

EDNA M. Massai', G. HAROLD KosnNGREN.

les' 

